What Are the Effects Of Global Warming:

See here, the polar bear is stuck in the middle of the ocean on a floating sheet of ice that's going to melt sooner or later.

Environment

The average temperature of the planet for each year, over the last decade, has been featuring in top 25 high temperatures of all time. In fact, 1998 and 2005 were the hottest years in the history of the Earth. The planet is getting warmer by the day, and just because the change is happening gradually we can't ignore the fact that we are vulnerable to the threat of global warming. In fact, the appropriate phrase would be - 'the entire planet is threatened by its hazards.

Effects on AnimalsA large number of animal species will disappear from the planet, owing to the loss of habitat triggered by global warming. There is no doubt that many animals will bear the brunt of climate change attributed to it. In fact, it's feared that sooner or later it will trigger a mass extinction, and one-third of the animal species will become extinct by 2050.Polar Bears: Polar bears depend on ice formed on the sea when hunting. If the ice melts, the range of polar bear will decrease to a great extent, and this loss of habitat will in turn lead to a decline in the polar bear population.Penguins: Melting sea ice will also result in decline in the growth of algae, which in turn will result in decline of tiny organisms, such as krill shrimp, which constitute a very important part of the penguin diet. And thus, scarcity of food and loss of habitat will eventually drive the penguins towards extinction.Arctic Fox: Warm temperature has been driving the Arctic fox further north in search of cooler habitat, but the rate at which we are losing colder regions, the Arctic fox is bound to lose the battle for survival sometime soon.These were just a few of the animals which are threatened by global warming. The long list includes caribou, butterflies, hibernating animals, migratory birds and various fish species as well.

Effects on PlantsOwing to the drastic changes in temperature levels, various plant species have been experiencing difficulties in adapting to the areas wherein once they flourished. The growing season of some plant species has also been altered, which in turn has disturbed the reproduction cycle of the species, thus giving a drastic blow to the plant population. Even the changes in precipitation patterns can lead to hazardous effects on various plants species. Global warming effects on agriculture is the best possible examples of this. Frequent rains will lead to flooding, whereas less rains will result in drought, both of which will only lead to the destruction of agricultural fields.

Other natural disasters, such as hurricanes, which are also caused due to global warming, can have a disastrous effects on plant life. Furthermore extinction of animals will also lead to negative impacts on the plant life, either directly or indirectly. For instance, extinction of tiger will result in increase in number of herbivores and excessive feeding by herbivores will result in depletion of the forest cover. Extinction of birds will affect the pollination process and hamper reproduction in plants. Owing to all these factors, various plant species are also expected to become extinct by the end of this century.

Effects on WeatherIncreasing temperatures will lead to adverse effects on weather as well. Even minor alterations in global temperatures will trigger a series of weather extremities, and alter the climatic patterns of the planet. The number of natural calamities have increased over the period of time. Last three decades have witnessed a rise in number of category 4 and category 5 storms. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledges the fact that the frequency of intense rains has increased over the last 50 years. On one hand, heating of the ocean due to global warming gives rise to ferocious hurricanes, while more than the normal temperature on land gives rise to intense heat waves. Higher temperature leads to faster evaporation of water and leads to drought in one part, and brings in heavy rainfalls and causes flooding in other part of the world. Although we can't conclude the serious effects of global warming on weather by taking into consideration a single drought year or a single devastating hurricane, the trend of these natural occurrences speak in volumes for themselves.

Effects on GlaciersOne of the more severe effects of global warming on Earth is the melting of perennial and permanent ice covers on the planet. There are several thousands of glaciers spread all over the world which form an important source of fresh water. Monitoring of these glaciers, by projects such as Global Land Ice Measurement from Space (GLIMS), has revealed that these glaciers are disappearing at an alarming rate. This is viewed as one of the most prominent factor for rising sea levels. The glaciers at the Patagonian ice fields of Argentina have receded 1.5 kilometers overs the last two decades. The number of glaciers in Glacier National Park in Montana had dropped from an estimated figure of 150 to 50 within a span of 150 years, and is expected to drop further, eventually leading to disappearance of all the glaciers by 2030. Melting glaciers can trigger severe natural calamities, such as flash floods, in the surrounding regions. More importantly, the melted water flows into the oceans thus causing the sea level to rise, which eventually leads to submerging of low lying areas such as Bangladesh and Maldives.

Effects on Sea LevelsOne of the most grievous among the various global warming effects on earth is the rise in sea levels, which are threatening to encroach up on land. If the sea levels rise it will result in a watery grave to several low lying areas, tiny islands and reclaimed portions of land. So how exactly is it affecting sea levels? Basics of geographical studies suggests that water expands when heated. In this case, rising global temperatures are causing the water bodies to heat, expand and thus encroach on land. Another prominent reason for sea level rise is melting ice from the glaciers and polar ice sheets - which is again accelerated by global warming. These ice stores are far massive than we can imagine. In fact, melting of West Antarctic Ice Sheet alone can possibly cause the sea to rise by a whopping 10 meters.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the sea levels have seen a rise of 6.7 inches in the last century, and if the alarming rate of global warming continues, the sea water levels may rise up to 22 inches by 2100. This will mean that island like Maldives and Tuvalu and low lying areas like Bangladesh will go underwater, and important cities like Mumbai, Shanghai and Florida will become vulnerable to the water grave like the legendary city of Atlantis. In fact, Maldives islands sinking is the best possible example of destruction due to rise in sea levels.

Effects on Coral ReefsThe effects of global warming on the coral reefs are devastating to an extent, that these reefs would the first major ecosystem to be wiped off the planet very soon. When the ocean water gets warm, the algae in the ocean tends to produce toxic oxygen compounds called superoxides which is damaging for the corals. As a defense mechanism, the corals eject their algal lodgers, which leaves the reefs starved for nutrients and their color turns white. This process is referred to as bleaching. Global warming is threatening the coral reefs to a great extent, and the fact is that if coral reefs are wiped off the planet, it will affect one third of planets marine biodiversity, as well as other ecosystems related to the coral reefs directly or indirectly.

Effects on HumansWhen the whole environment will experience the effects of global warming, naturally humans won't be an exception. In fact, we will be the worst affected beings on the planet because directly or indirectly we are dependent on all the components of the environment discussed above. Animals and plants are related to each other, extinction of either will put tremendous pressure on other, eventually leading to its extinction. Humans, in turn, are dependent on both for many purposes, so extinction of animals or plants will also affect humans to a great extent. Irregular weather will have a severe impact on several human activities. Warmer summers will mean more allergies and even more disease spreading insects. Unnatural precipitation will lead to destruction of crops and hamper agriculture. Rising temperatures will lead to warming of ocean bodies, which will in turn increase the frequency of hurricanes.

Destruction of coral reefs will lead to loss of marine life including fish which is an important constituent of human diet. Coastal areas around the world are highly populated, so any rise in sea level will lead to a heavy impact on the people residing in coastal areas. Glaciologist's estimate that if melting of glaciers at the present rate continues, around 20 percent of Bangladesh will get submerged in the sea by 2020. Countries like Maldives, with the highest point of 2.4 meters above mean sea level, will get submerged if the sea water levels rise by 3 meters. Loss of glaciers will hamper the water supply for millions. Rise in sea level will alter the coastlines thus affecting tourism sector. The saline water from oceans will flow into river beds thus making the river water unusable.

Effects on EconomyThe repercussions of these effects of global warming on earth will also be felt on the economy of various countries. The most affected would be the countries with agriculture-led economy. The phenomenon will trigger a series of changes in weather conditions which will take a toll on agriculture and allied activities. Owing to unnatural precipitation pattern, crop failure will become a very common phenomenon. Economies dependent on tourism, such as Maldives, will also bear the brunt of global warming. As the water levels rise all the coastal area will get submerged leaving the world devoid of all the beautiful beaches. Considering that the world has become a global village, the domino effect will also be seen on other countries and more importantly on the world economy.

Not everything about global warming would be bad though. Warmer climate will mean a longer growing season and hence an increase in production. In the United States, it will melt the polar caps along the Northwest Passage which will lower the shipping costs. The problem is that its negative effects far exceed the positive effects, and thus the whole world is concerned about the future - and trying to find out some solutions to this problem. The natural causes of global warming which includes water vapor and volcanoes are beyond our reach, but we can make sure that man-made causes are reduced. If we don't initiate the necessary steps soon we will have to face its wrath sometime in near future.

Several things have to be taken into consideration before we actually determine global warming effects on our planet. Skeptics argue that most of these problems are being exaggerated. Turning a blind eye to the signs of destruction, they feel that these effects of climate change are not going to take place anytime soon. But then, if a drop of 5 degrees over a considerable period of time can trigger an ice age, won't a rise of 5 degrees have a devastating impact on the planet?

Imagine: the year is somewhere in the future. Man's environment has undergone a dramatic upheaval. Trees are scarce and you can find them in abundance in only carefully maintained sanctuaries. The air is filled with particulate matter. Visibility has greatly diminished. The vast ocean is being pumped and the seawater is being processed in desalination plants. Tigers and lions have become extinct. The Himalayas have lost their snow cover. Antarctica has become a warm continent. Much of Asia and Africa has become uninhabitable because of very hot climate. Cancer and lung diseases are rampant. The weather has become fickle - you don't know what to expect. A cold winter spell is followed by a scorching summer, which will perhaps be followed by torrential rain.